A Change In The Weather
by DisneyStar4Ever
Summary: Benson finally breaks and hits one of the employees, getting him fired. He becomes jobless and homeless. Wandering the streets, he finds the Wattersons, who usher him in and take care of him. Soon, Benson finds himself falling for Nicole. CANCELLED
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Based off a picture I saw when I googled 'Regular Show and TAWOG' on google images, this is my...new RS show story...except it's gonna be a crossover! That's right guys! WARNING: I don't blame you if you don't wanna read this story and only clicked on it cause your curiousity got the better of you, but I wanna write about this couple cause...well...no ones written about these two and I decided to be the first one to. So, enjoy!**

* * *

The cold wind snapped at his body, forcing Benson to wrap his arms around himself and pull his coat closer. He frowned. Winter chilled him to the bone, and he hated it. The rest of the employees threw snowballs and goofed off, but only he distasted the season. He stopped on the third step of the park steps and refused to walk down further. He hated winter with a passion.

He watched Skips throw a snowball at Pops, who in response picked up a handful of snow, and like he had been taught, threw it at Skips. The yeti smiled. The war was on.

Benson smiled a little as his gaze moved along to Muscle Man and HFG, who were both making a snowman. Muscle Man stuck a carrot where the nose was and stood back along with HFG. "How's that for a snowman?" He heard Muscle Man say. Fives moved around the snow man, looking it over. He smiled. "It's an awesome snowman Muscle Man. I love winter."

Benson rolled his eyes, switching his gaze to Mordecai and Rigby. The two were having a snow fight, with both having a fort like they were in a war. He saw Mordecai pick up a snow-made Bazooka and point it at Rigby, who was ducking under his fort. "This is your last warning lieutenant" Mordecai said in a commando voice, "Either surrender or be pelted with snow balls." Benson watched Rigby slowly emerge from the fort...with a handful of snow balls. A sly grin creeped upon the raccoons lips. "I'll never surrender Captain"

They had an all out battle as Mordecai fired his bazooka and Rigby threw his snow. It lasted about a minute with both their forts being covered in snow. They both collapsed on the snow, laughing. He watched as they high fived and got up to do it again.

Benson smiled. He was happy his employees were having fun, but sometimes he wished he didn't hate winter so much. Every single year, the same things happened, but Benson never joined. He wish he could, but something in his heart said no, your too old. He didn't mind watching everyone play in the snow. It reminded him of his childhood. He sighed and continued to watch the two slackers battle.

* * *

The snow had melted by Monday morning, water seeping into the grass. Mordecai and Rigby burst through the door with winter coats and mittens, then stopped when they saw no snow. They turned around to see Benson trailing out the door with a clipboard.

"Where's all the snow?" Mordecai asked

Benson shrugged. "It's gone"

"But...but..we were going to play snow wars!" Rigby stuttered

Their boss sighed. "Well, it's gone. So I guess you can't play snow wars."

"What are we gonna do instead of playing in the snow?"

"Video games?"

Mordecai shook his head. "Nah, too boring."

"Ok, since you two can't think up anything, maybe you can go back to work?"

Mordecai and Rigby sighed as they were both given a bucket and sponge. "Go clean the fountain."

They both turned around and walked down the steps to the fountain, Benson watching with a satisfied smile. He needed to get ready for his inspection. Benson headed inside. Every year, he had an employee inspection from Mr Maellard, his boss. He had never failed the inspection since he started.

* * *

Benson sat in his chair, looking at his watch. Only 1 more minute till Maellard came here. He smiled and leaned back. He was definitely going to pass this year. But he frowned and sat up when he realized something important.

"Where's Mordecai and Rigby?" He asked aloud. He got up and ran outside, downstairs and out the door. Those two weren't going to stuff this up. Since he had hired the two, he had given the hardest jobs for them to show Mr Maellard that he was a good boss and the employees worked hard. He soon reached the fountain and almost exploded with anger.

The sponges lay on the ground next to the bucket, both untouched. His anger grew as his eyes spotted Mordecai and Rigby. The two were goofing around, Mordecai running after Rigby with the hose. They both stopped when they saw Benson storming up to them.

Mordecai dropped the hose. "Dude, Bensons mad"

"And?" Rigby asked casually

"He's gonna fire us. Look how angry he is. I told you we should of done some work" He nudged Rigby, who in turn, punched him in the arm. Mordecai punched back, earning a nasty glare from the raccoon. Benson balled his hands into fists as he walked up to them.

"I told you to clean the fountain. Why haven't you done it yet?" He practically screamed

Rigby shrugged. "We were taking a break"

"A break?" His voice got louder and his hands unclenched. "I left you for two hours to clean the fountain and all you've manage to do is sprinkle eachother with water! What's wrong with you?"

Mordecai held up his hands. "Woah. Calm down Benson. We'll get right to it."

This only calmed Benson down a little. "Well you better hurry up. Maellards gonna be here in a minute." Benson noticed Rigby hadn't moved to grab a sponge. "Get back to work Rigby!"

Rigby crossed his arms. "No"

"What?!"

"I said no Benson. We need more respect in this job"

Benson was so pissed off at the two. He couldn't take it anymore. Mordecai saw his hand raise and he immediately stepped in front of Rigby.

As soon as Bensons hand hit Mordecais cheek, he fell to the ground, a red glowing hand print visible on his feathers. He was in too much shock to move. He just lay on the ground, small tears trickling through his feathers. Rigby knelt down slowly and placed a paw on his arm.

Bensons eyes widened and he stared at his hand. He never knew he could hit that hard. Then he glanced at Mordecai. The blue jay was speechless, tearful. He could see the hand mark on his cheek and felt tears come to his eyes. Never had he wanted to hurt him.

He backed up in horror, turned and ran. He ran away from the two and out the gate. His lungs burnt and his head hurt but he didn't stop. Then, when he had gotten far away, he slowed to a walk. He needed to think. Criminal. The word flashed in his mind with bright lights around it. He had never hit anyone in his life. Sure he had an anger problem. But he would never EVER hit anyone in his life. A chill ran through him. He didn't know where to go. He couldn't go back to the park and face Mordecai. He would never forgive him. And Maellard? What would he do? Fire him no doubt. His apartment. Benson smiled. The only thing he had left. He turned to head to his apartment but stopped when he heard a small tingle. His phone. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled it out to see a message. He pressed a button to see the words 'YOU'RE FIRED!'

Bendon sighed and put his phone back. He turned back around to see he had walked into a different part of town. Everything was different. Some parts were animation, others were real. The houses were the same, the gardens cut neatly. Benson looked in fascination at everything he passed. Though it was hard with the wind blowing in his direction. He glanced up at the sky when he heard thunder rumbling. He shrugged and continued to walk across the pavement. But stopped when he felt a rain drop on his shoulder. He heard white noise before the rain even pelted down. By the time he reached the end of the pavement, he was drenched from head to toe. He sighed, pulled his coat tighter around him, and continued to walk with the rain soaking him to the bone.

He had been walking for an hour and he had seen no lights on in any of the houses, nor had the rain stop pouring. He grumbled something as he crossed the street, his feet splashing in puddles around him, his coat soaked to the inside. He decided to keep it on. 3 minutes later, he came to a litten up house, where he saw the sillouettes of a small cat, a fish with legs and a small bunny rabbit running around the house. He slowly walked up to the doorstep and raised his hand to knock, but he stopped to hesitate.

He began to talk aloud in a quiet whisper. "What am I doing? I just got fired, it's pouring down with rain, and I'm just going to knock on a random strangers door?" He sighed. "Well, it's better than freezing to death"

Benson looked up at the door with a frown and knocked once on the door. He waited, hearing hushed whispers inside the house. "Kids settle down. Someone's at the door." It sounded like a woman. He heard footsteps walking to the door. Then smiled when the door opened. A tall blue cat had opened the door. She was dressed in a pink nightgown with fluffy pink slippers. He could tell she was tired; it showed in her posture. Slumped shoulders. Dark circles around the eyes. Just...he could tell. Her dark eyes grew wide when she saw Bensons state.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?"

Benson shook his head.

"Come in, come in, you must be freezing" She moved to the side to let Benson in. He nodded at her kindness and walked through, looking at everything with fascination. Everything was animated. Differently. Pictures of a blue cat, an orange fish, and a small pink bunny were in one frame pulling faces at the camera.

He walked to the lounge and slumped in the seat with a sigh, then he sat up when he saw out of the corner of his eyes, 3 animals staring at him. The 3 animals he had seen in the photo. What?" He asked irratibly. It annoyed him when people stared.

The blue cats eyes widened. "Your a gumball machine" He stated.

"So?"

"Your animated differently" He saw the orange fish's eyes narrow, as if being animated differently was a crime.

"And?"

The small pink bunny got up and walked to him. She stopped and reached out a finger. She drew it back when it had touched his head. She frowned. "You're not from here"

"Kids that's enough" Benson turned and saw the tall blue cat had moved to stand beside the couch. She frowned at the three animals but her gaze softened when she looked at Benson. "I'm so sorry. My kids are a little curious. Would you like anything to drink?"

Benson nodded. "Yes please. A hot chocolate maybe?"

"Sure" She walked to the kitchen, leaving the three kids to study Benson. He felt a slight change in the atmosphere.

The pink bunny frowned. "Where do you come from?"

"The park"

She gasped, her frown replaced by a smile. "The park? The park is forbidden. Mum never lets us go there. You must tell me more!"

He watched the orange fish move up and push the bunny away. "Why are you animated differently?"

Benson shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I come from a different world to you"

"You time traveled?" He asked in awe.

Benson chuckled. "You could say that."

The blue cat stepped forward. "Who are you?" His eyes were narrowed, his lips a frown.

"My names Benson"

"Benson..." The cat took the name into consideration. Finally he held out a hand. "Welcome to the Wattersons Benson" He smiled.

Benson held out a hand and slowly shook the cats. He had no idea who these people were and already the woman's children were accepting him into the family. He glanced at the clock. 8:30. He blinked, suddenly feeling tired. The tall blue cat walked in, carrying a hot mug of coca. She set it on the table in front of Benson and straightened. "There we go. Hope it's not too hot"

"Thanks. I need a warm drink"

Benson leant forward and slowly picked the drink up then he lowered it when he realized he had missed something.

Looking at the woman, he asked. "Sorry, I didn't catch your names?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Nicole." the gestured to her three kids. "This is Gumball, Darwin and Anais." She bent down to whisper in his ear. "Anais is the smart one. Go to her for advice."

Benson nodded. He took a sip of his cocoa. He had so many questions in his mind, bursting to be answered, but he could wait one more day. When he had finished his drink, he stood up and smiled at Nicole. "Would you mind if I stayed the night? It's pretty late."

Nicole waved a paw in front of her face. "Oh of course not. You're very welcome to stay. Upstairs is the guest bedroom, where you'll sleep. I have a few chores to do before I go to bed, so I'll just let the kids take you upstairs and show you your room"

He was about to question as why she would do chores at such a late hour, when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked down to see Gumball smiling up at him, with a look that said 'Shes crazy'. He let Gumball take him upstairs, with Darwin and Anais leading the way ahead. They walked down a hall, where Benson saw drawings stuck on the walls, and they stopped at a room.

The walls were painted a bright red with a small single bed to the side. Curtains had been drawn across a medium sized window, where little knick knacks sat on the sill. Gumball let go of his arm and walked over to the bed, where he sat down. Benson followed and sat next to him. A light red desk was next to the bed, waiting to be filled, the only light filling the room being the lamp on the desk.

"Ok, here's your room Benson. We'll be just across the hall if you need us." Gumball got up to leave. Darwin and Anais followed him then they stopped when they were at the door. They turned to smile at Benson, then they left, closing the door.

Benson lay down, contempt. His mind was racing with all sorts of questions he wanted to ask to all four of them. But he could wait. He sighed and got under the covers. Then he shut his eyes and turned off the light. Soon, he drifted off to sleep, the rain pelting on the windows.

_**Like? Hate? Review!**_

_**Next chappie will be up soooonnnnn!**_

_**R & R!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Someone had opened the curtains, he knew, as he opened his eyes to blinding light. He sat up and yawned, feeling his neck to be stiff and his limbs cold. Looking around, his eyes widened and a momentary feeling of panic submerged him. "Where am I?"

He quietly chuckled to himself when he relaxed and the feeling subsided. Memories came back to him with every movement he made to get out of the bedroom. As he walked out the door, he could smell pancakes. And he smiled. He made his way downstairs to see the family sitting around a wooden table. Nicole was holding a pan, serving her three kids fluffy golden pancakes. An empty seat was next to Gumball, reserved for him.

Nicole suddenly looked up and she smiled when she saw Benson. "Morning"

"Morning" He walked the rest of the way downstairs and made his way to sit down next to Gumball.

Nicole moved over to him and placed a pancake on his plate. "There we go. Call me if you want anymore" She walked out of the room and to the kitchen.

"Thanks" He grabbed the maple syrup, opened it, and began pouring the golden liquid on his pancake. But he stopped when he felt he was being watched. Glancing up, he saw the kids were all looking at him. "What?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. He was finding the staring weird.

"Are you gonna stay?" Gumball asked excitedly

Darwin smiled. "Forever?"

"Cause you can if you want" Anais suggested.

Benson set down the bottle slowly, confused. Why were these kids suddenly excited for his arrival? He was just a normal person who had been stuck in the rain and had been taken in by the mother. That wasn't strange, was it? Course not. Then what made these kids so happy when he turned up? He glanced at all the kids happy faces, and hesitated. Should he answer? He should. But what do you say when three small kids want you to stay? He suddenly felt like a hostage, like he had been kidnapped. But that can't be the case. These were just kids. They didn't know anything. Or did they?

He was just about to answer, till Nicole walked to them, carrying 4 glasses of water. She set them down on the table in front of each person. Benson turned in his chair and smiled at Nicole. He could ask her. She would know.

"Nicole?"

"Hmm?" She looked up after setting his glass down.

He didn't want to be rude when asking the question. It wouldn't go down well. So he stood and took a step towards the lounge. "Can I talk to you in private?"

Nicoles eyebrow raised. "Sure" She followed him into the lounge, where the tv was on playing cartoons. Once again, the animation was different.

Benson stopped next to the couch. He cleared his throat. How the heck do you ask such a question to the mother? He needed to word this well. "Before, when you were in the kitchen, your children asked me if I would stay. And they were strangely excited about it"

It wasn't a question, nor a statement, but it silenced Nicole non the less. She avoided his gaze, looking at the cartoon on tv. Benson knew he had said something wrong, but he didn't know what. He moved to go, but Nicole put a hand on his arm, only for a second.

"No. I'll explain."

She sat down on the couch, motioning for Benson to sit down next to her. She sighed, ran a hand through her blue fur, then sighed again, looking at him with tired eyes. "Two years ago, my husband and I divorced. He walked out on us, leaving me a broken hearted mess. He didn't contact us for months and the kids never saw a sign of him. But we kept seeing a flash of pink, signs Richard would come back. But we gave up after months of worrying. I went crazy and delirious, seeing Richard everywhere I went, nearly crashing the car, going to the edges of the world to find him. Finally, after many months, we finally got in contact with him. He had started a family of his own and said he was never coming back."

Bensons heart ripped. He regretted asking, wishing he could take the words back, but it was too late. Without a thought, he took her hand in his and held it. She made no move to take it away. She sucked in a breath and shakily continued. "Ever since then, the kids have been hoping for a father figure to come back into their lives. They missed their father so much that they wished, dreamed and hoped for another man to come back into their lives and be their father again."

She felt tears come to her eyes and she let them fall. She refused to be the tough warrior she was once then. Losing Richard had broken her, crumbling her. Her fatigued posture had all taken a toll on her, refusing to eat, refusing to sleep. Richard was her soul mate...til she lost him.

She broke down in Bensons arms, hugging him tighter than anything. He didn't say anything at all. He just let her sob into his arms, pouring every emotion she had held back since her husband had left. He felt her quiten down a little. She slowly raised her head, looking at Benson with kind, dark, tired eyes. "Thank you." She said softly.

He didn't know what she was thanking him for. He hadn't done anything. But he took the words anyway. He nodded. She wiped away a tear. "It's just...I've been a mess since then and...I've needed someone to talk to. Counsellors don't understand. Relatives can't help. Nothing. But.." She raised her eyes to look at him. "You're different. You seem to understand me."

They both looked at eachother with kind, gentle gazes. Benson knew her pain. He had experienced it many times. Enough to break his heart. The word criminal was long gone now. Nicole took her hand away from his and stood. "Thank you for listening Benson."

"Your welcome Nicole." The words felt strange on his tongue. He had lived so long as a bitter, lost soul, that it hurt him to say those words. He felt tears appear but he wiped them away as he followed Nicole back into the kitchen. The table was a mess, with plates thrown on the wall, stuck from the syrup. Water had been spilt, soaking the table cloth. The syrup and butter had been mixed together, creating a brown-yellow result, stuck to the table. The kids had all abandoned the mess and were running around the table with syrup stuck to them, oblivious to their mother staring in horror at the mess.

Benson saw Nicole's mixed state, and after learning of her past, he decided to take this into his own hands. He stepped forward. "Hey" He yelled.

The kids all stopped and looked at him in surprise. He could see Nicole looking at him out of the corner of his eyes, and continued to talk to them. "Who wants to go for a walk to the park?"

There was a moments silence. Benson was surprised at his sudden kindness. It felt strange to him. The kids all smiled and began jumping up and down in excitement.

"But first you must clean up this mess"

The stopped then, their smiles not wavering. Gumball moved upstairs to go find a bucket a sponge, with Darwin and Anais following. Benson could hear them chanting "We're going to the park...We're going to the park" In a sing song voice. They all reappeared a moment later, each holding a red bucket in one hand and a yellow sponge in the other, bright smiles on each of their faces.

"By the time you're finished, we're going to the park"

They all began cleaning immediately, Gumball taking the plates off the walls and bringing them to the kitchen, Anais cleaning up the water off the table cloth, and taking it to the laundry, and Darwin using his sponge to clear up the table. Nicole watched with fascination, feeling a glow cover her body. The kids were doing work. Actual work. Since Richard left, they had refused to work, claiming to be depressed about him leaving, forcing Nicole to do all the work and become depressed after the day ended. With tears in her eyes, she watched them all work. When they had finished, they all stood in a line in front of the two adults, smiling. Benson nodded. "Nice work guys. You definitely deserve the walk to the park"

* * *

Benson walked down the path, Nicole walking next to him, Gumball, Darwin and Anais skipping ahead.

"Thank you so much for this"

Benson shrugged. "No problem."

Nicole sighed. "It's just so hard to get the kids out of the house and go anywhere. When Richard left, I felt horrible, as if this was all my fault. It felt like centuries, but I finally managed to get my life back on track." She looked back up at him. "Just...thanks...for this"

He shrugged again.

* * *

They soon reached the park. It's was completely empty, the slides untouched, the swings still. The kids all ran to different parts of the playground, Gumball on the jungle gym, Darwin on the slide, and Anais on the swing. Nicole and Benson sat on a nearby bench, watching the three have fun as they were bought back to their childhood.

"So...where do you come from?"

"Pardon?" The question took him as surprise.

She cleared her throat. "I mean...cause you're not like anyone else I've seen before. You're animated differently."

"I'm from the park." He answered her, like he had answered Anais.

Her eyes widened. "But...but...the park is out of here. It's...a different dimension." She seemed lost for words as she searched for an explanation in her mind. She looked back up at him. "How...did you..." Her voice trailed off, not comprehending how someone like him was able to get..here.

He explained everything, not missing a single detail. He told her about each and everyone of the employees, with a few laughs and smiles thrown in. She showed happiness and joy, but underneath, he could still see her broken heart, and her tired self, hiding behind a fake mask of difference. He became confused when he replayed Nicole's words back in his head.

"Wait..what do you mean, 'dimension?'"

She wiped away a tear of laughter. "This is a different world. Look around you. Each and everything you see is different, with nothing being the same. 'Dimension' being 'different world'. Take a look"

He followed Nicole's directions and suddenly saw from last night that everything was different. The grass was real, while the houses were animated. The sun was smiling. Literally. The sky was real, half the people animated, half real. Creatures of any sort wandered the streets, used to the change in animation. It was too surreal to take in. He looked back at the playground to see it was real, the kids being animated. They were still laughing and smiling, racing around the park. Benson looked back at Nicole.

"So, I'm in a different dimension?"

She nodded. "Yes you are."

"Is that bad?"

She chuckled. "No. You'll be fine. The only thing different here is the animation."

"How do I get back home?"

She hesitated. "You don't. You have to stay with us until someone from your dimension builds a portal or someone from here creates a black hole to take you back."

Bensons eyes widened, panic suddenly flooding him. "So I'm stuck here?"

"Yes."

He stood up. "I can't be stuck here. I have to get back home."

She reached for his arm. "You can't Benson."

He slowly sat down, the panic disappearing. "Can I call them?"

"Who?""

"Mordecai and Rigby"

She nodded. "Yes, you can call them." She pulled out her phone and gave it to him. He opened it up and dialed the number. Then he held it up to his ear and waited for someone to pick it up. He heard the click of someone picking up.

"Hello, who is this?" Pops.

"Pops, it's me. Benson. I'm-"

"Benson, where are you? We need you back at the park"

"I'm-"

"It's chaos here without you"

"I'm in a different dimension."

"Dimension? Is it a colourful one?"

"Yes, no, yes...look Pops, can you please pass me to Mordecai"

"Certainly Benson. I'll be seeing you soon, yes?"

"Yeah, sure Pops. Just pass the phone to Mordecai"

He heard silence then a familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Mordecai, thank goodness."

"Benson? Where are you?"

"I'm...somewhere. Can you just ask Skips to-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE HOUSE PHONE? DON'T YOU KNOW THAT COSTS MONEY!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Sir. I was just talking to Benson." Mordecai was speaking to someone at the park. The voice sounded like Mr Maellard. But what was Mr Maellard doing at the park?"

"GIVE ME THE PHONE. I'LL SORT HIM OUT"

The phone was passed to the him, much to Bensons disappointment.

"LISTEN, BEANTEEN, YOU CANT HAVE YOUR JOB BACK! I'VE TAKEN THAT POSITION NOW, AND I'M KEEPING IT. SO DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK HERE. EVER!"

The phone hung up before Benson could get another word in. He slowly shut the phone, looking at Nicole with fright.

"Maellards takin over the park."

"Really?"

Benson nodded. "I can't go back. I only managed to talk to Mordecai and Pops, but thats it."

Nicole looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark. We better get back home."

They both stood, Nicole facing the playground. "Come on kids. Time to get home"

"Ok mom!" Gumball jumped down from the jungle gym and had a race with Darwin and Anais to the adults. They all walked out of the park and down the street to home.

Benson trailed behind. What was he going to do? He couldn't phone again, otherwise Maellard would do something horrible or whatever. He didn't have any contact with them. His head was a muddle. He shook it, clearing his thoughts.

* * *

They were all huddled on the couch, a blanket draped over them. A robot movie was playing on the tv, the animation different. It didn't bother Benson anymore. He decided to get used to it, since he was going to be staying here for a while. Gumball, Darwin and Anais were traced by the movie, ignoring everything but the film. Nicole looked up at Benson. She was sitting next to him.

"This is nice"

"Yeah." He continued to watch the film. He found the animation ok. It was pretty fascinating how he had somehow traveled from the park to here in one rainy night. But he decided not to think about it. It was too much. He just decided to let it go, enjoying the moment.

Nicole yawned. She closed her eyes and snuggled against Benson. He didn't mind. She was exhausted, and needed comfort. She hadn't had it for two years. He wrapped an arm around her and sighed. He soon heard her slow breathing an figured she had gone to sleep. The film was almost finished. He glanced up at the clock. 9:30. He looked back at the kids. They were transfixed on the tv. He smiled and slowly got up, making sure not to wake Nicole. Then he went over to the kids. "Time for bed"

The all groaned but got up and followed Benson up the stairs. He smiled as they walked to their room. They all got into bed without protest and snuggled down to sleep. He walked over to each of their beds and kissed each of their foreheads, and he tucked them in and shut the door. He made his way downstairs. The whole house was silent, except for the tv blaring robots fighting. He went over to the couch and stopped, looking at Nicole. Poor woman, he thought, she has gone through so much in the past few years. She only wants comfort and hasn't seemed to find it. He switched off the tv then walked over and bent down. He gently kissed her cheek, covered her with the blanket, then made his way back upstairs to bed.

"Goodnight Nicole." He said softly


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

2 months had passed since Benson had arrived at the Wattersons and still, no one had phoned. He knew that since Benson had tried to phone The Park and Mr Maellard had answered, Maellard had not let anyone near the phone, trying to keep anyone from bringing Benson back.

Benson lay on his bed now, his arms and legs spread out in a starfish shape as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't mind staying here. It was a lot better than being at the park. But he did miss everyone. He missed running the park. He missed being caught up in Mordecai and Rigby's mishaps. He missed a lot of things about it. But he didn't let it get to him often. When it did though, he felt a gaping hole in his chest that desperately needed to be filled.

Life at the Wattersons was what distracted him from what had had been pondering over. Soon, Gumball, Darwin and Anais had called him "their new dad" and Nicole had agreed, though neither him nor Nicole interacted romantically. He was motly there for her when she needed a shoulder to cry on every so often, or when she needed a break from the kids.

"Benson!" Nicole called from downstairs. Benson sat up when he heard her voice.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going grocery shopping. I'll be back in half an hour. Can you watch the kids please?"

Benson stood up and walked to the door. "Sure." He called, walking into the hallway. He heard the sound of a door shutting then Nicoles car driving away. He descended the stairs then walked to the lounge, to see Anais on the couch, watching "Daisy The Donkey."

"Anais?" Benson asked, stopping behind the couch.

"Yeah?"

"Where are Gumball and Darwin?"

Anais turned her had, her hands clutching her Daisy The Donkey toy. "They're outside playing Dodge Or Dare."

Benson thanked her then went outside, to find Gumball setting up something made entirely of garbage.

"What are you doing?"

Gumball propped a rotten banana skin on what seemed to be a swing then turned to him. "Darwin dared me to make a playground out of all the rubbish in our backyard."

_That would explain it. _Benson smiled. They almost reminded him of Mordecai and Rigby, from what they said to how they acted.

"Hey dad, wanna play Dodge Or Dare?"

Benson had gotten used to being called dad fairly quickly. True, he had felt slightly uncomfortable when the children first called him dad, but he had accepted it, almost believeing himself to be the father. He had been nice to them, treated them to a lot of things and done some things a father would do; tuck them in at night, dropped them off at school when Nicole had work.

Benson turned and walked over with a smile. "Sure." Darwin smiled at him, then looked at the playground Gumball was building. He sighed, looking back at Benson. "He's gonna take a while so I think we'd better pack up the game."

Darwin gathered the game and put it in the box. He stood. "Ok Gumball, let me show you how it's done." He walked over. Benson smiled at him then turned and walked into the house, where he put the game upstairs in their room. When he came downstairs, he walked to the couch to see Anais still sitting there, her eyes not leaving the tv.

A piercing scream made Benson jump. He turned and raced outside, Anais following. Gumball was lying underneath a heap of trash, Darwin beside him trying to get the rubbish away.

"What happened?" Benson knelt down next to Darwin. Gumball groaned. "My arm..." He whispered.

Benson looked at Gumballs arm to see it twisted at a sickening angle. It made him feel nauseous.

"I...I was helping Gumball make the playground and all of a sudden, the rubbish fell on him. He tripped over a banana peel and I think he broke his arm." Darwin said hurriedly, throwing more trash aside.

"My arm..." Gumball whispered again. Anais hurried away to get the phone. She handed it to Benson, who took it without looking at her. He dialed the number, told them what happened, where they were then hung up the phone. He lay it on the grass then looked at Gumball. Tears began to slip down his cheeks. "It hurts..."

"The ambulance will be here soon." Benson replied quietly. He took the phone again and called Nicole.

"Hello?"

"Nicole?"

"Benson? What's happened?"

"Gumball's broken his arm."

There was the sound of a phone being shut then silence. Benson put the phone down again.

The sound of brakes made Bensons head turn. Nicole came racing outside, panic all over her face. She knelt down next to Darwin. "Oh, Gumball." She whispered. She turned to Benson. "Did you call the ambulance?"

"Yeah. They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Good." They all waited in silence till they heard sirens wailing in the driveway. 2 ambulance men appeared and took Gumball away on a gurney. Nicole and Darwin went with him, while Benson and Anais followed behind the ambulance in Nicoles car.

* * *

Benson sat next to Nicole while they waited for Gumball. Darwin and Anais had gone off to the gift shop, which was just down the hall.

Soon, after what felt like hours of anxiously waiting, a doctor pushed through the doors of Gumballs ward. "Your son is in perfect condition Mr and Mrs Watterson.'

Nicole blushed. "Oh...um...we're not married."

"Oh." The doctor cleared his throat. "We ran a few bloods and they came back fine. Only concern is his broken arm. It seems he broke many bones, so he will be given a cast, which he will have to wear over the period of 8 weeks."

Nicole nodded. The doctor turned and walked down the corridor. Nicole stood. "I'm going to see him. Do you mind getting Darwin and Anais?"

Benson stood and walked down the corridor. He found Darwin and Anais with two heavy bags, walking out the gift shop. Bensons eyes widened.

"Your mom only gave you $20."

Darwin smiled. "Yeah, but everything was reduced to a dollar."

Benson relaxed. He smiled. "You can see Gumball now."

The two gave him their bags then raced down the hall to Gumballs ward. Benson followed and walked in the ward, where he saw Nicole holding Gumballs hand. When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned her head and smiled at the bags Benson was holding.

"Is that how much the kids bought?"

Benson nodded and dumped the bags by the door as Nicole turned her head back to her son. Anais and Darwin stood next to Nicole, smiling at their brother.

"How ya doing Gumball?" Anais asked him.

Gumball smiled and moved his arm. "I'm ok. My arm hurts a little though."

"Don't worry honey. The doctor said you have to get a cast." Nicole told him.

Gumball grinned. "Awesome! What color should I get?" He paused to think.

"How about neon green?" Darwin asked.

"Or bright pink?" Anais added.

Gumball shrugged. "How about...a whole mixture of colors?"

"Yeah!" Darwin shouted. "That would be awesome!"

Nicole smiled at her son and stood from her seat, leaving her children to discuss cast colors. Turning a little, she motioned for Benson to follow her out the door. Closing it behind her, she took a deep breath as she looked at Benson standing in front of her.

"Thank you for calling me. I don't know what I would've done if I came home from work and found Gumball on the lawn with a broken arm."

"Oh...you're welcome." Benson said with a smile.

"You've done so much for me and the kids over the months, I feel like I owe you something.' Nicole let out a small laugh.

"You don't owe me anything." He moved to sit down in a chair, Nicole sitting next to him.

Nicole sighed. "Don't you miss...everyone at the Park?"

Bensons expression softened. The images of everyone ran through his mind, making a feeling of loneliness rip through him. "Yeah, I do. But I'm happy here." But his tone said otherwise. He wasn't fully happy here. He did miss the Park, the guys, and the strange things that happened there.

Nicole bit her lip. She felt the need to push it, knowing now that he felt as lonely as her, but she left it.

Bensons phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Benson."

Bensons eyes widened. "Mordecai? What are-?"

"Benson, you gotta come back to the park. Maellards taken over and-"

"GIVE ME THAT PHONE! Beanteen?"

"Yes, Sir."

"The park is in better shape than you ever made it. It's more constructed and your two slacker employees work better, with more work loaded on them."

Benson stood. "What have you done with the Park?"

"Oh, it's none of your concern, considering you don't work here anymore."

Shouts and cries could be heard in the background. Benson felt sick. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"Like I said, I've gotten your employees to work better."

"Benson-" He heard Mordecai shout.

"SHUT IT MORDEJI!" The sound of a whip could be heard, Mordecai yelling, then silence.

"I've gotta go. Rugby and Mordejai are slacking off again. Enjoy your new life...Benson." The line cut dead.

Benson stood numb, the phone feeling cold in his hand. The way Maellard said his name sent chills down his spine. Something was horribly wrong. Without a second thought, Benson tore down the corridor.

Nicole stared after him, confused and worried.

* * *

"Come on, pick up." Benson muttered. He was leaning against the wall, the phone held up to his ear. He had tried countless times to phone the Park, but no one had answered. This was the 10th try. He hung up, defeated.

He dipped his head but lifted it when he heard the phone ring. Picking it up, he waited.

"Hello?"

Benson sighed happily. "Mordecai."

"Benson, listen. I'm calling in the meat locker on my cell. I've only got a few minutes till Maellard finds me, so I'll explain everything that's going on. Since you've been gone, Maellard took over the park as manager, but soon went mad with power, since he claimed he could do your job better. He's taken over the park and gotten all of us to do work, only feeding us about three times a week, and treating only Pops as royalty. The Park has become completely deserted. It's a wasteland."

Benson felt lost for words. "What..." He whispered.

"You gotta come back to the park. Skips hasn't been able to find enough time to find a way to your world, but when he does, he's making a portal, but it keep being destroyed by Maellard."

"Can't anyone do anything about it?"

"Maellards got everyone on lockdown. He broke a few villains from prison to keep us in line and now we can't even leave the park. I keep getting calls from Margaret and Eileen but when I try to talk to them, Maellard destroys the phone. This is my 9th phone."

"But what about Pops?"

"He's too upset and scared to stand up for Maellard, so he just sits and lets Maellard lead him. If any of us try to talk to him, Maellard makes us do more work. We get short breaks, hardly any sleep, and it's hell here."

"Where's Rigby?"

Mordecai paused. "He's unconscious on the couch. Because he was the laziest out of me and him, Maellard gave him more work, and it's tired him out, but Maellard still forces him to work-"

"Even though he's unconscious?"

"Yeah."

"Can't the police do anything about it?"

"The villains...killed them."

Benson began to shake. He felt the phone slip from his grasp, but he held it tightly.

"Please Benson. You gotta come back to the park."

Benson felt himself nod. "I...I've tried, but I can't reach you guys and-"

A gasp. "It's Maellard. Please come back to the park Benson."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SLACKER?"

"Uh..."

The phone landed with a thud on the ground. As two villains took Mordecai by the arms, Maellard stepped up to the phone and broke it with his cane. Benson took the phone away from his ear.

"Benson!"

Benson dropped the phone and turned his head to see Nicole standing there. "What..."

"Nicole, listen. I have to go back to the park." He said, standing.

"What, why?"

Gumball, Darwin and Anais stepped forward from behind their mother. "Yeah, why do you have to go back dad?"

Benson glanced at them. Nicole gave the bags to her children. "You three go upstairs and sort out what you want. Benson and I are going to have a talk."

The three raced upstairs, and when the door slammed, Nicole stepped forward to Benson. Benson sighed and walked to the couch.

Nicole sat next to him.

"I...Maellard's taken over the park. I have to go back." Benson said sadly,

"Oh my..." Nicole put a hand over her mouth. "Taken over the park?" She whispered.

"Yeah. But the problem is, is that I don't know how to get back. Mordecai said Skips is building a portal to get here, but he can't make it with Maellard around."

Seeing Nicole's expression, he repeated what Mordecai had told him.

"So...it's not going to be for a few more months till you can go home?" Nicole asked

"A few months is what I'm hoping won't turn into a few years."

Nicole looked at him sadly. "Maybe we can find a way to get there."

"But we don't have the material's Nicole."

Nicole sighed. She looked at the ceiling, where she got a sudden idea.

"I think I know someone who can help us." She said, looking back at Benson.

Benson looked at her surprise. "Who?"

**Ok. That's it. I'm dropping this story. The inspiration has vanished, and basically, this chapter was pulled from somewhere in my mind. School isn't helping either -_- Anyone who wants to continue this, be my guest. I'll give you what's going to happen with the Park and Benson and Nicole. Just PM me.**

**(What a bitch, leaving us with a cliffhanger when she drops the story!)**


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